Hunters typically field-dress game animals near where the prey is felled. Failure to empty the body cavity of digestive and excretory organs promptly can cause the meat to have a strong, gamey taste or smell. However, hunters must take care not to cut or puncture any of those organs. Those organs contain contaminants such as urine, feces, or digestive fluids that can contaminate the meat.
Hunters often use hunting knives to field dress their game. While practical and convenient, hunting knives are generally ineffective for severing large bones. The obstacle presented by the pelvic bone often causes a hunter to unintentionally cut or puncture an organ, exposing the meat to contaminants.
Because splitting the pelvic bone reduces the risk of accidental contamination, hunters employ various tools and methods to split the pelvic bone. Some try to cleave the bone using an axe. Others use a rock to strike the back edge of a knife blade while holding the sharpened edge against the bone. Still others use saws. Each of those tools and methods has drawbacks.
Using a rock to strike a knife blade is both dangerous and difficult. Personal injury or inadvertent contamination may occur. An axe is cumbersome, heavy, and sharp. Its use could also lead to personal injury or inadvertent contamination. A saw is safer to use, but may still lead to inadvertent contamination. Using a saw is slow and requires substantial effort. It is also sharp and cumbersome to carry.
Pelvic bone splitting tools that rely on impact from an integral sliding weight are safer and more effective. Their main disadvantage, however, is the weight of the tool. To deliver a blow sufficient to sever a pelvic bone, the weight must be substantial. The substantial weight can be a burden for a hunter to bear.
Pelvic bone splitting tools that employ a shaft with a cutting blade hinged to an anvil shaft are also safe and effective. Their main disadvantage, however, is the length of the shafts needed to provide sufficient mechanical advantage makes the tool cumbersome to carry.